Some of Kansas University’s basketball players applauded, others breathed a silent sigh of relief last week when Aaron Miles picked himself up and walked off James Naismith Court after suffering a minor ankle sprain at practice.

“If he gets hurt, I don’t know what this team would do,” KU junior Keith Langford said of Miles, who averages a Big 12-leading 6.46 assists per game — 9.67 assists in three Big 12 games — heading into tonight’s nonconference battle against Richmond (8:05 p.m., Allen Fieldhouse).

“If you ask me, he’s MVP of the team. Wayne (Simien) scores and rebounds and is equally important, but Aaron holds this team together. Some guys in the country may have a little more talent. As far as what a point guard means to the team, he can’t be replaced,” Langford added.

Miles, who ranks 12th in the country in assists — Troy State’s Greg Davis leads the country at 9.0 per game — not only compares favorably with North Carolina’s Ray Felton (8.1 apg), Duke’s Chris Duhon (7.1), Gonzaga’s Blake Stepp (7.0), Georgia Tech’s Jarrett Jack (6.8) and Seton Hall’s Andre Barrett (6.8), but players now competing at the next level.

Players like former Jayhawk Kirk Hinrich, a first-round pick of the Chicago Bulls.

“I mean Kirk was good,” Langford said, “but I think Aaron’s floor game is even better.”

That’s because the 6-foot-1 Portland, Ore., native, who has hit 41.2 percent of his shots, 27.3 percent from three-point land, may be more of a true point than Hinrich, who was known for his three-point marksmanship.

“I learned a lot from Kirk. I don’t know if I’m there now,” Miles said.

He needs 30 assists to pass Darnell Valentine for fourth place on KU’s all-time career assist list and three steals to pass Adonis Jordan for sixth place on the school’s steals list.

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Whereas last year’s KU team was known as Hinrich’s and Nick Collison’s team, this year’s squad just might be Miles’ team.

“I would never say that,” Miles said with a shrug. “I think that would be selfish on my part. It’s all our team.”

“Selfish” has never been a word used to describe Miles.

“He is a true point guard — pass first, shoot second, but with all that he understands and can see the big picture,” KU coach Bill Self said of the guard, who had a 3.55 grade-point average last semester. “He is really a bright player. The big thing with a point guard is that he has to understand he has to make sure others are involved. He makes sure others are involved first. If I was a player I would love playing with Aaron Miles.”

The Jayhawks do love teaming with Miles, whose 580 career assists trail only Valentine (609), Hinrich (668), Cedric Hunter (684) and Jacque Vaughn (804) on KU’s all-time list.

“I’m blessed to have Aaron on my team. He has confidence in me, will come to me even when I’ve missed five shots in a row,” freshman J.R. Giddens said. “He gets as much joy out of throwing a pass as hitting a three. He makes me better.”

Miles enters tonight’s game following his near-historic triple double last Saturday. He had 11 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds in KU’s 71-65 victory at Texas A&M.

In 105 years of basketball, no Kansas University player has ever recorded a triple double.

“I am pretty shocked by that especially since Danny Manning played here,” said Miles.

Manning came close with 12 points, 11 assists and eight boards against Wichita State in 1988.

“It’s tough to do,” Miles said. “If I do it, I do it. If not, I will not cry about it.”

He almost had one as a sophomore, scoring 14 points with nine assists and nine steals in a 70-51 home win over Iowa State. He’s not upset he sat the last few minutes of that game — one in which he logged 32 minutes.

“I wasn’t mad that I wasn’t in at the end, I was mad because I was that close,” Miles said. “When you are that close and don’t get it, it’s tough right then.”

Triple doubles are commonplace in the NBA, a league Miles follows closely.

His eyes brightened when asked to list the top guards in the league.

“I might be biased, but Kirk is up there,” he said of Hinrich. “In three or four years Kirk definitely will be recognized at one of the top point guards in the NBA. You’ve got Jason Kidd … I love him, love his style of play. Baron Davis, Stephon Marbury, a lot of good guards can do some good things.”

Miles was asked if someday he could be as productive as those all-stars.

“I think it’s a possibility,” he said. “I hope I can be better than any of ’em. I pray I can. They are all talented, really talented.”